


Your Earnest Heart

by Yotsubadancesintherain5



Series: Fairytale/Supernatural [35]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Character Study, Familial Love, Fluff and Angst, Gen, One Shot, Platonic Love, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29526000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yotsubadancesintherain5/pseuds/Yotsubadancesintherain5
Summary: Humans had wings where love filled out the feathers. Gems didn't. Steven bridges the gap between them, with all the weight that comes with that.
Series: Fairytale/Supernatural [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/768273
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Your Earnest Heart

When Steven was born, his future uncertain but so full of love that was to come, his wings were tiny and only filled out by his dad’s love. They were feathers that were black like the night sky with bits of white in them that were akin to stars.

The fact that only these feathers existed proved that Rose was truly gone.

-

Gems had no idea of organic wings and so had never been created with them.

It would have gone against the cogs of functionality if all of them could fly, from those that walked to those stuck in the walls, even more so because these feathers were born from something that took time and personal efforts.

Gems were not allowed to have anything close to love so it would have been redundant in the end to give them organic wings.

But – against everything that gems were supposed to be – Steven got these feathers of love.

-

Sometimes Amethyst would be rough when she played with Steven. They would get too wrapped up in the fun of play and forget that humans, even a half-human and half-gem one, had more delicate features than gems.

But she was always careful with his wings, never grabbing them or pulling him down if he decided to fly out of reach.

The only thing she would do was lightly brush over the feathers, a tickle that made him laugh. She would only be a little jealous that his self-love was so easy to spot in these feathers, a vibrant pink among the others. The jealousy was small in comparison to the happiness she felt of the purple feathers nestled in his wings.

-

Pearl would tut and click her tongue as she preened Steven’s feathers, only as skilled as a human at this because she had done it so many times.

It was like combing his hair, with a couple of fidgets in boredom to match.

Pearl always took great care in preening these feathers, her fingers gentle. She would announce what color she was working on; there was always more fondness when she got to the white feathers that showed her love.

-

Garnet was the one that was always ready to help Steven practice flying. She would catch him effortlessly if he couldn’t get his wings to work right.

Steven would wonder why the feathers she gave him were not just one color. They were a swirl of red and blue. She’d always say it was a surprise.

Steven would not know the answer until much later.

He would later draw Ruby and Sapphire with wings, ones that were large and majestic and spilled out beyond the barriers of the paper.

-

Steven was giddy when he found light-blue feathers and equally so when Connie showed that her wings got his love, too.

In time, when he would begin to learn of his mother’s secrets, he would feel unease at the pink feathers in his loved ones’ wings. The question of who he was, how much of himself was just his mother, began to seed in his mind and cast doubt.

Sometimes he would look at his wings and think, “I’m human,” but the gem in his stomach and the pink feathers in his wings would pull him in two directions.

-

When Steven saw lime-green feathers growing in he shouted happily and picked up Peridot to spin her around.

The entire countryside probably heard her scream, “What’s happening?!”

Steven had already explained the concept of wings and feathers before but was happy to do it once again.

Just as before Peridot had a million questions for him. She seemed a bit bashful about the newly growing feathers but covered it up with pride.

-

When a few dark blue feathers grew in Steven silently showed them to Lapis.

She didn’t ask any questions. Perhaps she was thankful that she could love him.

-

The feathers that Bismuth gave him were an array of colors, like her gem, and Steven was swept up into her arms when he showed her.

She teased him about making armor for his wings to seal the deal and it was so good to laugh.

-

The Diamonds had seen the pink in his feathers and thought _Pink Diamond_ , and that had made the doubt in Steven grow to painful levels.

But it would be through the trials with the Diamonds that he finally found that his feathers were his own and he was himself.

It would still take a while for them to ingrain that Steven was not Pink Diamond but in time they finally understood.

-

Spinel didn’t get any feathers when she left to go with the Diamonds but that was okay for her. She was happy that Steven extended his hand to her.

-

The pink feathers falling out would be a gradual process.

Steven would be evasive about his wings. He would keep them furled. If anyone asked where the pink feathers had gone he would say that they had just gotten old and would grow in again.

Lies seemed to fit better on his tongue, now.

(When he shattered Jasper and tried to bring her back, desperation thrumming throughout his entire body, the last of the pink feathers floated in the bathwater.)

-

When Steven’s self-hatred became too much and he seemed to burst apart with that self-hatred his wings became jagged and pointed, a warning to stay away.

It made it clearer as to who he was.

And though love was clear in the feathers he still needed to be told of this love and that no matter how he thought of himself that love would never change.

When Steven was himself again his wings were unfurled and vulnerable for the first time in a long time.

-

It took a while after that, with time and effort, but eventually Steven was on stable ground.

When Steven tearfully left his home, with promises and love he kept close to his heart, pink feathers were beginning to grow in his wings again.


End file.
